How to refer to Talkingminds

For Referrers: Self, GP and Third Party Referral

Talkingminds, Making a difference…

Self Referral

Clients can self refer to Talkingminds to a practitioner of their choice.

If you wish to claim a Medicare rebate on sessions, you will need to see your General Practitioner (GP), Psychiatrist or Paediatrician for a referral as part of a Mental Health Treatment Plan. This referral must be in place for you to claim a rebate and referrals cannot be backdated. This will allow you to see a mental health social worker, psychologist or clinical psychologist. It is up to your GP or specialist to assess your eligibility and suitability for referral based on the referral criteria. This referral is recorded on your health record via Medicare. This referral will allow you to claim up to 10 sessions per calendar year in which a Medicare rebate will be reimbursed to you; in most cases about half of the fee or more is rebated as our practice fees are below recommended rates. You will need to ask your GP for a referral letter and copy of your mental health treatment plan and you will need to bring both to your first session. Not all practitioners at Talkingminds are eligible to provide Medicare rebates to clients; it is important that you check this prior to any appointments.

You may be able to claim a rebate on your sessions with your private health fund. Please note that this cannot be claimed in addition to the Medicare rebate. Please check with your health fund about their rebate amounts. Not all practitioners at Talkingminds can offer private health rebates.

You may be eligible to be seen through an another initiative at the practice including victims of crime counselling or third party insurer arrangements (Worker’s Compensation and CTP).

If you do not wish or need to claim a rebate of any kind, you can elect to attend sessions as a private client in which case the full fee applies and no referral is required.

General Practitioner or Psychiatrist Referrals

Thank you for considering Talkingminds for referral for your patient/s.

Your patient may have already elected to see a particular therapist at Talkingminds or you may wish to refer to someone specifically within our team. All mental health social workers, psychologists and clinical psychologists at Talkingminds are approved to provide treatment under the Better Access to Mental Health Care scheme (10 sessions per year). Not all practitioners at Talkingminds are Medicare providers (and some practitioners who are counsellors and psychotherapists work purely on a private basis); please check prior to referring your patient.

Please provide a copy of your referral letter and GP Mental Health Treatment Plan to your patient to bring to their first session with us. Please nominate the number of sessions you wish for your patient to attend before their first review (up to 6 sessions usually).

Referral letters can be made out specifically to the chosen therapist or can be generically made out to the practice: